1
as in destroys
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
developers demolished the old warehouse to make room for the new shopping mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shatters
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the buildings in the town had been demolished in the bombing raid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in smashes
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
terrorists used a powerful pipe bomb to demolish the concrete wall around the compound
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of demolishes
If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.
—
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolishes
Verb
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These newly aware companies’ high-speed trading of financial projects destroys the Earth itself, forcing humans to flee to the margins of the solar system.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Most of the time, a person’s immune system identifies and destroys these cells.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Flow Space,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Continue reading … HEAT HISTORY – Padres flamethrower shatters MLB record with jaw-dropping pitch in playoff battle.—
,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Gunfire shatters windows at The Grand The fatal shooting in August was the latest incident amid ongoing crime problems there, the lawsuit says.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
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The trend isn’t one-sided either, as clips have surfaced of brides being the ones to start the frosting fight, like in this TikTok video where a bride smashes a piece of cake on her groom’s face.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The whole image is a set of geometric elements receding precisely, which either or both ruins or/and enhances a little of the painting’s magic for me.—
Kate Colby
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
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At least four people were killed and eight wounded, and authorities were searching the building ruins for more victims.—
Isabella Volmert,
Twin Cities,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the results lack the sparkle of that song, while reinforcing its message that some things are best left in the past … the quality control blows hot and cold here … Her mellifluously conversational singing is as appealing as ever.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
-
This one blows them out of the water.—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Americans are used to thinking about automation as something that devastates factory towns in the heartland.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The novel is about three teenagers experiencing the joy and angst of their senior year in a New York City high school as the AIDS crisis devastates their community.—
Abdi Nazemian,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Messy data wrecks forecasts, distorts reporting and wastes time.—
Thasha Batts,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolishes. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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